Germantown, WI -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/13/2010 -- For over 25 years and across 500 installations worldwide, Lightning Pick Technologies has delivered advanced order picking technologies on time, on budget, every time. Lightning Pick has best-in-class applications for Pick to Light, Put to Light, Pack to Light (Put to Store) Voice and RF systems support lean supply chain processes from manufacturing through order fulfillment. As a result, Lightning Pick clients improve their level of service, achieve superior order quality, and advance their positions in the market.
Lightning Pick Technologies (www.lightningpick.com), providers of paperless picking systems including the number one selling Pick to Light solution in North America recently discussed LP User Community News. According to Joe Pelej, “Two unique applications part of the core Lightning Pick software product have become user community favorites by providing superior system support, visibility and process improvement. LP Notify enables Lightning Pick to continually monitor itself with 'self-health checks' which can alert customers to system irregularities before they become larger issues. LP Communicate is a real-time event notification tool sends messages to users on a wide variety of customizable system activities as they occur.”
LP Notify in the Field includes Bookmark & Share functionality using Microsoft Message Queue technology; LP Notify captures Lightning Pick system parameter and log information which is then sent to Lightning Pick via the Internet. A tracking database at Lightning Pick receives the information, which is scanned to identify and flag potentially problematic events. This enables Lightning Pick engineers to evaluate the events and often contact customers with a resolution before the customer themselves are even aware of any issue.
Managing Ideal Database Size
The Lightning Pick database accumulates a considerable amount of transactional data. Lightning Pick engineers noticed that two customers, a leading computer/electronics internet retailer and a major medical products distributor, had LP Notify reports showing a trend of growing database sizes. The LP engineer added a ‘Shrink Database’ protocol to both customers’ maintenance plans which optimized usage of previously unreleased database space. The customers were notified in their support plan Quarterly Reports cover letters.
Scanner Optimization
A leading direct selling group picking cosmetics and other health & beauty products uses Lightning Pick at two distribution centers. The customer deployed new Bluetooth scanners utilizing Sena bases. Because antennae access points couldn’t be mounted in the most ideal physical location, Lightning Pick advised using a more advanced antennae. LP Notify was used to monitor related scanner usage events on the server. The data showed that there were no significant operational issues with the standard antennae, but also that the better equipment would further minimize disconnect/reconnects and improve coverage.
A customer was preparing to run some tests on a new Lightning Pick system prior to go-live. LP Notify sent messages indicating a problem with importing orders. LPT contacted the customer prior to running the test or having knowledge of any errors. The customer was able to fix the data problems caused by recent changes to the WMS software and resubmit the orders.
In another LP installation, LP Notify sent messages indicating a problem with the Standard sockets interface over a specific time frame. Lightning Pick proactively contacted and followed up with the WCS software vendor. This provided additional information in their troubleshooting of recently updated software.
The LP Communicate event notification tool provides system alerts on all important activities, events and productivity statistics in your LP picking operations with real-time messaging. Customers receive instant alert messages via email, cell phone, PDA or pagers when employees login into the system, a pick is made, a group or wave of orders is completed, a product location needs replenishment or Pick Rate Productivity rates rise above or fall below target thresholds. The configurable system can alert users on a wide variety of operational events to best meet their specific requirements.
Lightning Pick Technologies
http://www.lightningpick.com
Joe Pelej
joe.pelej@lightningpick.com
262-250-2143